Photos included on this page are only those taken between July 3rd and July 16th. See page 2 for the rest of the month and a fireworks MOVIE! Click on any thumbnail to begin.

&nbsp First three photos were taken in Nogawa Park on July 3rd. The first one is a "lambsquarters" - a common weed in the U.S.A., but have you ever seen one where the
new leaves are pink like this? Second shot is a common "pink" flower. Third photo is a shot of a Pomegranate tree blossom and leaves.

&nbsp All 3 shots were taken at the "Chinese Lantern" Festival on July 9th. The first shot shows the plants, which they were selling for 2,500 Yen per plant! WOW! Pricey! That works out to about US$24 or so. People
who were buying must have wanted the plants very badly. It's only an annual plant too, going to die in a few months.

&nbsp The first shot in this row is also at the "Chinese Lantern" Festival. The next 2 photos were taken at Jindai Botanical Gardens on July 10. These are orchids - Cymbidium nipponicum. They are parasitic on the roots of a certain kind of tree.

&nbsp The first 2 shots in this row were also taken at Jindai Botanical Garden on July 10. Don't know what the first one is. The second shot is, obviously, some resting turtles. The 3rd shot is a Dicliptera japonica.

&nbsp Everything in this row was taken on July 16th. The first shot is some very strange aphids - they looked like snow flakes! The insert shows actual size. The next 2 shots are once again Helwingia japonica.
You've seen this plant here before and you'll probably see it again. When the fruits become fully developed I'll make some kind of collage of the flowers to show the development over the course of the season.
As you can see, the fruits are getting fairly large.